11/06/23 – Swirling river weed and bursting thistles

Went for a walk by the river at the end of my friend’s street. The evening was warm still and we saw a swan family pulled out by the weir, the parents with their strong snaking necks, the big fluffy babies huddling against the wall. The parents raised their heads and stared at us untilContinue reading “11/06/23 – Swirling river weed and bursting thistles”

04/06/23 – Waves over the wall at the tidal pool

On Sunday I was so tired I didn’t think I had the energy for anything, but I still dragged myself to the sea. The wind was high and the waves were rushing in, bands of white flushing forward to the shore. I walked out along the concrete wall of the tidal pool, which was thickContinue reading “04/06/23 – Waves over the wall at the tidal pool”

27/05 – Low tide sand shapes

I waited till the evening, when the sands were quieter. I walked away from the main bay, from the beach swings and trampolines, the bodies stretched over the sand. I walk away, across the sand. The sand was high, reminding me that the beach is an ever shifting place, an edge but also a movingContinue reading “27/05 – Low tide sand shapes”

08/04/23 – Dusk with the iron men

We walked through the dunes and saw them, all spread out, staring to sea. Antony Gormley’s Another Place, 100 iron men standing amongst the elements. The sun was setting, a band of pink below deep blue streaks of cloud on the horizon. The sand was dimpled and swirled, stuttered into bands by the tide, andContinue reading “08/04/23 – Dusk with the iron men”

02/04/23 – Mermaid’s purses and egg sacs on the shore

Yesterday I went to the tide pool. It was windy and I wobbled as I walked out to the first ladder. Great swathes of seaweed had spread since I’d last been and they were spread-eagled beneath the surface, black through milky grey. I climbed down the ladder into chest clenching cold, swam across with theContinue reading “02/04/23 – Mermaid’s purses and egg sacs on the shore”

03/03/23 – Turkey tail mushrooms and budded daffodils

I went for a lunchtime walk by the river. At first I noticed only cyclists and joggers, bits of rubbish among the leaf litter. Then I watched a dog charge into the water. Chasing a gull, it launched itself, paws paddling furiously, a triangle of wake lanes rippling behind it. The bird planed low overContinue reading “03/03/23 – Turkey tail mushrooms and budded daffodils”

12/02/23 – Low tide at West Wittering

At the weekend I went to West Wittering for the first time and it was packed. I’d hoped a grey February Sunday wouldn’t be too busy, but there were huge groups of people all over the wide expanse of sand. I turned right, towards East Head, which I hoped would be quieter. The tide wasContinue reading “12/02/23 – Low tide at West Wittering”